


Jim and the Appreciative Customer

by Opulopful



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 18:25:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opulopful/pseuds/Opulopful
Summary: Jim doesn't get paid enough for his work.





	Jim and the Appreciative Customer

"Would you like fries with that, sir?" Jim didn't bother looking up from the register at Mayview's local Generic Burger Place. It had been a long shift and he was ready to go home. In Mayview, every shift is a long shift, even the 1 hour shift in which Jim was currently stuck. Originally, the GBP had tried to have normal shift lengths, assuming customers everywhere were basically the same as everywhere else, but, well... this was Mayview. Just witnessing the self-important way a customer had aggressively sauntered into the restaurant earlier had made his coworker take a sick day for the hour. It's like everybody here acted like they were a main character in the story, but no story has room for more than one.

The customer didn't answer but Jim had already punched the button to total the order anyway so it wouldn't have mattered at that point. When you had worked in customer service in Mayview long enough, you began to recognize the auras of archetypes such as the strong silent type in front of him.

"That'll be $2.50, thank you for stopping at your local GBP" The customer had only ordered a single plain meat patty but there was only so much the register would allow him to subtract from a triple decker supreme before hitting a price floor.

The tray holding the single patty emerged from the kitchen carried by one of the CHEFS (Corperate Heating Element Food Servicer) with an undue degree of ceremony as though the tray were a velvet pillow and the lonely patty, a monarch's crown. People in Mayview, Jim mused, are just like that I guess.

The customer took the tray from the counter and went over to the condiment dispensers and then stopped and for the first time, since there were no other customers in line to draw his attention, Jim looked at them. Or rather, he looked at where they should be. The tray hovered next to the dispensers apparently without exterior intervention.

Jim walked over to the mayo under which the tray and adorning patty stood. The tray somehow gave off the sense of uncertainty or perhaps... embarrassment?

"Do you... um... want any help with that?" Jim asked to nobody in particular.

The sense of relief from the air next to him was almost palpable, which was weird because usually you only get senses of relief from things that actually are palpable. Like faces.

Jim cautiously depressed the mayo lever, half expecting the additional weight of the condiment to knock the tray out of the air at any moment. The tray stood resolutely still.

"Tell me when." Said Jim. The tray stayed where it was. Jim pushed the lever again. The patty now had a solid layer of mayonnaise across the top.

"You sure appreciate your mayo my friend. Ha. ha." When working in customer service it's important to maintain a bright and cheery attitude at all times.

The tray didn't move. Jim dispensed another heap of mayonnaise on top of the pile. And another. He was sweating through his useless little hat they make you wear at places like this for some reason. He didn't know how much longer he could endure this.

Finally after the 6th dispensary and the burger had been completely obscured, the tray seemed satisfied. It gave a barely perceptible nod and ambled to a booth near the back. Jim collapsed against the counter and slid to the floor, exhausted. He wiped his brow with his soaked hat and tried to catch his breath. He had been holding it for the past minute or so. Suddenly his manager burst through the kitchen doors.

"Jim, my boy!" He yelled. The manager never seemed to have learned how to speak in tones lower than a mild bellow. Jim looked up at him in panic. Surely word had gotten out about his excessive use of mayo. He would be lectured about wastefulness and company condiment policy about responsible condiment use.

"You've done it my boy, you've really done it this time!" The manager shouted.

"sorry sir, won't happen again, sir" Jim whispered inaudibly.

"We just received the best online review the company has ever gotten! I didn't even know it could physically go that high! And wouldn't you know it, my boy, but your name is right at the top! You've gotten more stars in one review than the company has received in total this whole year!"

"Thank you sir" Jim muttered.

"Incredible work, my boy, just stupendous. This calls for a promotion: From now on you'll have 2 hour shifts for twice the wages!"

"um.. total or per hour?" Jim whispered.

"And I expect these kind of results from everybody else here! Let Jim be the shining example of quality that you all aspire to!" The Manager shouted into the kitchen. The customers around the shop looked very uncomfortable, except for one which can't really be said to have looked at all.


End file.
